Adenosine receptors are involved in a vast number of peripheral and central regulatory mechanisms such as, for example, vasodilation, cardiac depression, inhibition of lipolysis, inhibition of insulin release and potentiation of glucagon release in the pancreas, and inhibition of neurotransmitter release from nerve endings.
In general, adenosine receptors can be divided into two main classes, A1 receptors which can inhibit, and A2 receptors which can stimulate adenylate cyclase activity. One of the best known classes of adenosine receptor antagonists are the xanthines which include caffeine and theophylline. See e.g., Müller et al., J. Med. Chem. 33: 2822–2828 (1990).
In general, many of these antagonists often exhibit poor water solubility, and low potency or lack of selectivity for adenosine receptors. Additionally, selective analogues of adenosine receptor antagonists have been developed through the “functionalized congener” approach. Analogues of adenosine receptor ligands bearing functionalized chains have been synthesized and attached covalently to various organic moieties such as amines and peptides. Attachment of the polar groups to xanthine congeners has been found to increase water solubility. Nonetheless, such developments have yet to fully address problems associated with potency and selectivity.